Not EVEN a Dream
by SquickWrites
Summary: Nothing is just ANYTHING when it comes to Yuko. But when Himawari gets dragged into it, it's gone a bit too far. Watanuki will do anything to save his precious Himawari, no matter what it takes...


**Inception ruined my mind. Now everything is about dreams. Ugh. But that's alright! Because this was, in all technicality, a dream within a dream. I had a dream about this, and this happened. Let's hope I can make it into a decent story!**

**~Otaku o.o;**

Yuko's shop and all her crazy rules and stories had intruded on Watanuki's personal life enough. He didn't know how to feel about it though. True, Yuko's advice were laws to abide to through life, but sometimes he grew jealous of the people walking about on the streets, living normally and not knowing anything about the… "real worlds". But now he couldn't go back. Everything he knew was real. Even the things he didn't know were real. He couldn't deny it. And the things he didn't know scared him most.

o-o-o-o-o

Watanuki lay down on his bed with a loud sigh. He had been sighing a _lot _since he met Yuko. That woman's life was so intrusive on his own… He couldn't wait until he was off of his shift. They weren't horrible people, but there were so many things to stress about when he was around them! Not to mention how much she liked Domeki. Yuko wouldn't even let him get upset with that lug anymore… and what made it worse was that he really didn't get upset in general anymore! Domeki was _not _going to win… he wasn't going to get another admiring fan out of him! Watanuki wouldn't give in, even he had to use every drop of anger in his body just to push out an annoyed look. DOMEKI WOULD FINALLY LOSE!

And so now, sleeping was one of the best things he could ever do. It was maybe the highlight of his day. When his eyes were closed, he was supposed to be having his happy time. So naturally it was the end of the line when Yuko Ichihara decided to barge in on that too.

Something had been gnawing at him, telling him "_DON'T_ go to sleep. You will regret it!" Watanuki certainly should get into the habit of listening to his inner voice. When he finally fell asleep, he passed into a dream. This was not odd at all, but that was just a matter of time. His eyes snapped open in what looked like a waiting room. The walls were a dull off-white and all the chairs and couches were a average brown. Across from Watanuki was a receptionist's desk with no receptionist… Just as he thought this, a light flashed above one of two doors in the room that said in bright yellow letters KIMIHIRO WATANUKI. Standing, as though this were normal, he walked towards the door and opened it.

Inside was a room he had never seen before. There was a desk with a desktop computer and a woman typing behind it. Across from the desk were three plastic chairs and next to those a door that appeared to lead outside. A small courtyard was messily paved with stones in a way so unorderly that it looked as though a child had done it. However it seemed almost fashionable. The woman behind the computer suddenly stopped typing, making Watanuki turn at the disturbance. She lifted a finger and pointed at one of the chairs sharply. Turning off the computer's system, she stood.

The lady had deep green eyes and dark blue hair in a ponytail that fell to ringlets. She wore a serious expression, twirling a pair of glasses between her fingers. The look turned into a frown as she caught a glimpse of Watanuki, sitting with his improper posture. Suddenly, the boy felt self conscious. He sat up straighter and tried to look her in the eyes.

"Kimihiro Watanuki. Not exactly the super hero I was expecting." The woman muttered with a sigh.

She continued when Watanuki didn't reply. "I have been expecting you. However, your 'company' appears to be a bit late. Not that you were really on time either." She clapped once, placing the glasses on her face. "But we will make do." The odd woman tapped her finger on her other arm, pondering something. "Alright, what _do _you know?" She asked.

Watanuki thought about it. "I'm pretty sure I'm dreaming. I don't remember really coming here. Uhh… I don't know you..?"

The woman sighed angrily. "Useless." She shook her head and went back to her computer, turning it on and typing furiously. What it could possibly be for her to type so fast was beyond Watanuki's imagination. It seemed like hours had passed before there was a knock on the glass door. The blue-haired woman looked up and smiled. Standing, she patted her corduroy skirt and checked her white blouse for spots before walking swiftly over to the door.

Watanuki hadn't noticed that it had started raining, but that was nothing compared to the woman stepping through the door. She wore a long black dress with a deep square cut at her chest. A long slit ran along her sides, all the way up to her thighs. Her black hair was in two braided loops at the sides of her head and a long ponytail in the back. "Hellooooo there." She said cheerily, meeting the blue-haired woman face to face.

"Y-Yuko-san! What are you doing here?" Watanuki yelled, jumping instinctively. This was _HIS _dream, Yuko was NOT supposed to be here!

"Well you don't sound too happy to see me Watanuki. You'll probably hate to see our other guest then~" Yuko laughed, saying that.

One person flashed through Watanuki's mind. Just as he thought of him, a person stepped through the door, shaking out the parasol Yuko had been walking under as she entered. Domeki looked up, and Watanuki almost exploded into a fit of rage.

"IT'S BAD ENOUGH THAT YOU'RE HERE BUT YOU HAD TO BRING HIM TOO?" Watanuki whined.

"Quit complaining, you already know how important he is, always saving your butt like he does." Yuko grinned mischievously, plopping down next to Watanuki in a chair. "Care to know what we're here for? It'll make you happyyyyy~" She swung the last word as she poked Watanuki's cheek.

"What _is it,_ Yuko?" Kimihiro asked through gritted teeth.

"You're here to be Himawari's hero!"

Watanuki stopped, stared and decided to listen.

"So he finally shut up." Domeki muttered. He might have sat down on the other side of Watanuki, but he honestly wanted to know why he was here as much as Watanuki did. They didn't really have time for Watanuki to overreact.

Yuko clapped twice. "Well, well, well, now that we're all here, let's sort this all out." Everyone turned to her at attention. "Our friend here is Mokuren. A good girl overall and quite an important asset to the mission of the two of you." She pointed to the blue haired girl, then Domeki and Watanuki.

"What is that supposed to _MEAN,_ Yuko? Your riddles are starting to get annoying." Watanuki muttered in an irked tone.

"Let me _get_ to it!" Yuko was getting upset. Domeki kicked Watanuki's foot and gave him an apathetic glare. "The girl you're looking at right now, is the heart of Himawari Kunogi."

Watanuki knew his heart stopped beating. Even Domeki looked shocked. Yuko was smiling in an evil way, and it was then that Watanuki noticed that this Mokuren girl had the exact same smile as his dear Himawari. It was disturbing to discover.

"What is that supposed to mean?" The question came from Domeki this time, as if he had read Kimihiro's mind.

"It means what it means. The heart of Himawari is here, in Himawari's dream."

"BUT THIS IS MY DREAM!" Watanuki suddenly burst out.

"Ah ah ah!" Yuko grinned cheekily. Of course, why would that be a surprise? Nothing was just anything around Yuko. Words weren't just words, music wasn't just music, simple children's games were no longer games. So naturally, dreams were not dreams. "Naturally, dreams are not dreams!" So predictable. "Dreams are actually just like portals. Or, semi-portals. Whoever is in your dream and whatever is in your dream is _real_. Whether you believe it or not is up to you. Every single person in your dream is having this same dream as you. The thing is, most people don't talk about it. So you would _never know_! Himawari, Domeki and you, Watanuki, are having the same dream. Of course, I did tweak some things to make it this way, and I myself am not dreaming, but that's just how some things have a habit of working."

"But if that's true, then where is Himawari?" Watanuki's voice was anxious. He and Domeki looked the same as always, but this girl… this Mokuren person looked and acted nothing like his sweet Himawari.

Yuko sighed dramatically as though she were onstage. "Poor, poor Himawari. A victim of her own outgoing personality." Watanuki's eyes widened and he focused as much as he could on Yuko, the words she was going to say, the way she would present herself. "Himawari is not one who should interfere with magic. I never brought it up to you, because with the three of you being together- You bringing and Domeki expelling spirits that may harm her- it seemed that she would be fine. But something has split her apart… her heart and soul are no longer together, and she is beginning to lose herself."

Suddenly, Watanuki stood with a stern face. "Yuko. What is wrong with Himawari? I want to know now, and you need to tell me how to fix it."

Yuko looked sullen for a moment but then smirked, her eyes thinning in a cunning way like a fox. "If I weren't going to tell you, why would I bring you here?" Yuko pulled one of her intricately decorated pipes from her bag and put it to her lips, not even bothering to light it. "What you have to do is get to Himawari's soul. Her heart is right here, where it should be. Your job is to find the other half of her. You have to put her pieces back together." Yuko leaned back in the chair, crossing her legs as if to say that she were done.

"And exactly where is this soul of Himawari?" Watanuki asked.

"Right to business I see. I like this side of you, use it in the shop more often." Yuko smiled. "Watanuki, I have no idea where this soul of Himawari is. _You_ need to find out. If I knew where she was, we would already have put her back together. So use that big brain of yours and find her."

Mokuren spoke up. "I've got a minor connection to my other half. Sometimes she tries to talk to me… I can hear some words but… that's it. It's like static." Although she had seemed rude before, the look on her face was truly sad. Losing a part of yourself… it must have been terrible. "And that's why you two are here. Watanuki, you might be able to reach her and Domeki…" Mokuren paused. "Well he's just here to save your ass."

Once again, Mokuren was _NOTHING_ like Himawari.

However Domeki was smiling and Yuko was laughing again. But Watanuki was still being serious. Maybe _he_ could reach her? What did that mean? Himawari had been split in two and one half of her couldn't get in contact with the other half. Yet he was supposed to catch her?

"…How do I do it?" Watanuki finally asked.

"No clue." Mokuren answered plainly, nibbling at one of the arms on her glasses. "Sometimes it happens randomly, other times I have to listen really really hard and then her voice is just there. Yes, full of static, but it's there. So maybe you should try listening."

Watanuki nodded at her suggestion. Listening. Seemed easy enough. He closed his eyes and noticed the quiet in the room. He zoned in on the silence, listening to it. The hushed room had a sound all its own. Almost like you could hear the particles of different thoughts being passed through the air. It was then that Watanuki realized that he was listening to the wrong thing. It wasn't silence he was looking for, it was Himawari. That voice of innocence and truth, the voice of joy. That was what he was looking for. It was there. It had to be. It was so clear in his mind, her dainty voice squeaking his name out

But wait. No. that wasn't the one in his mind was it? It was too much. It was like when you heard something and tried to repeat it in your head. The sound itself was the same, but the way it was replayed was completely different. But this sound… it wasn't from Watanuki. It was someone else altogether. It was that voice of Himawari that he was searching for…

It was her. Himawari's soul had contacted him. It was loud and clear. Watanuki didn't dare open his eyes for fear of losing the sound. "Watanuki… Watanuki…" she was calling the name. Could she tell he was calling her? Could she hear his voice too? One way to find out.

Watanuki pushed his inner voice as loud as possible. "Himawari. I'm right here. I'm here… where are you?"

"I don't know. Watanuki, I have no clue… please… please come find me…" Watanuki opened his eyes wide, and the connection between him and Himawari's soul seemed to snap.

Yuko was smiling again, and Mokuren was wearing the same grin. Domeki was giving Watanuki a suspicious look from the corner of his eye.

"And there we have it." Yuko chuckled.

"More talented than I thought." Mokuren began to laugh.

"This is going to be crazy, isn't it?" Domeki asked in his apathetic tone.

Yuko cackled and literally slapped her knee, twisting her pipe between her fingers. "Ohhh you have no idea."

**Sorry for a bad ending, I know it kinda fell off or whatever, but I've been working on an intro for way too long. Will this story continue? I hope so, but I'm kind of at a loss for ideas as to where it will go, but I'll try, I will. **

**THAT IS OF COURSE, if you guys give me reviews. I have been having a lack thereof and I think it's discouraging my writing ;~; But I still love you so… okay. Bye.**

**~Ota**


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